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Funding for general medical practices has come under strain. Dr Paula Mathieson of Whangarei is just one GP facing financial challenges.

Hooray! We’ve reached the milestone of 400 members of this Clan Matheson New Zealand Facebook group. Thanks to all who have joined and contributed.

Lena Orum, Chris Binns and Rodger Matheson ensured that Clan Matheson was well represented at the Waipu Highland Games.

Did you know that celebrating Christmas was once banned in Scotland? Or that Christmas Day wasn’t a public holiday until 1958 (and Boxing Day in 1974)? Early Scots Presbyterian migrants to New Zealand didn’t observe Christmas, but began to loosen up towards the end of the 19th century. Don’t listen to your ancestors! The trustees

Our December newsletter is out! If you’re an email subscriber, check your inbox. If not, you can sign up at no cost on our website. Read about an Otago family, a Scottish tragedy, Highland games, bagpipes, artificial intelligence and a library that’s growing by 4,000 books every day. Thanks for your interest and support over

The house marked in blue is where William and Barbara Matheson (nee Campbell) lived and died at 18 George Street, Fodderty, Scotland. Historical maps are a great tool for finding out more about how our ancestors lived. There’s an article on the Clan Matheson New Zealand website with some tips.

Remember that there will be an international gathering of Mathesons in Scotland in July 2024. The latest information about the gathering and associated events is now on our website. There’s lots of practical travel advice too. Book early!

The New Zealand Remembrance Army is a volunteer group maintaining the graves of former servicemen and women, and locating and identifying unmarked graves of service people. Barry Gamble of the Waitaki branch wants to locate Matheson relatives to get permission to place a headstone on an unmarked grave at Oamaru. Two of those buried were

Iconic Invercargill department store H & J Smith has closed its doors after 123 years in business. Michael Matheson has worked there for 48 of those years!

The stories of several New Zealand Matheson families have been written and published by family members. They’re a valuable record of some of our pioneering families. Most are privately published and it’s not always easy to get hold of copies. We now have a digital copy on our website of “Matheson 1875-1975: an Otago family